


Red fiery locks

by Gabster357



Series: Merintosh Evolution [4]
Category: Brave (2012), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mac defends his Queen!, Mac makes her feel beautiful, Second Kiss, merida is feeling bad about herself, merintosh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27986238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabster357/pseuds/Gabster357
Summary: Merida is conflicted about her hair. When some mean girls make her feel bad about her hair, Mac is there to tell her just how beautiful she is.
Relationships: Lord Macintosh/Merida (Once Upon a Time), Young Macintosh/Merida (Disney)
Series: Merintosh Evolution [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034640
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	Red fiery locks

Merida has always felt conflicted about her hair. 

Since childhood, she always loved her hair, the feeling of freedom when the wind blew through her thick untameable locks. She loved its colour, a red so mesmerising that it matched her fiery temper and wild disposition. She loved how her mother would take ages to comb it, because it would mean they could sing more songs together and tell her more stories of her own childhood. She loved how every time she looked in a mirror, it reminded her of her own father and somehow she felt as if a part of him still lived within her through the fiery locks they shared. 

However, it would be a lie to say that the mean things the girls her age say don’t get to her. 

“She looks so ridiculous!”

“She probably doesn’t even comb it!”

“What a disgrace!”

“No wonder she has no suitors!”

Even though her lack of interest in finding a husband, it didn’t mean she didn’t want love. It didn’t mean she didn’t wanted to be sweat off her feat and carried away into the sunset. She wanted romanced, desperately craved it, and her heart would not settle for less from her future husband. She knew she wasn’t pretty, no matter how many times her own mother told her otherwise, not like Mac.

The young Lord Macintosh had great hair. 

Luscious, flowing locks that shine in the sunlight. There are times that she wonders what it would feel like to run her hands through his silky curls, blushing at the thought. Ever since their encounter at the ball, to say their interaction had been awkward would be an understatement. He avoided her like the plague, probably regretting whatever madness he felt when he kissed her. Sometimes she would catch him staring at her, probably trying to build up the courage to apologise. 

She wondered if he had been disappointed by his choice that evening. Macintosh was a well sought out bachelor, everyone knew that, especially Macintosh himself. He had always been a shameless flirt, which had always annoyed her. He respectfully toned it down since she became Queen which she was incredibly grateful for, but that didn’t deter the army of women who swooned and sighed longingly at the mere sight of him. He could have kissed any girl he wanted to that night and he ended up with her, of course he was bloody disappointed. 

Her mother came to her one evening, all excited at the arrival of the new ribbons she’d been waiting for months for and Merida could not help but ask for a couple for herself. Her mother was shocked, of course. Merida had never shown an inkling of interest in anything ‘girly’ before let alone pretty ribbons. However, she gladly gave her some of the velvet blue ribbons that matched her dress. 

It took Merida hours to braid her hair, but at least she wouldn’t hear any of those insufferable comments. She was rather pleased with how it turned out and rather proud of herself, as was her mother if her delighted squeal was anything to go by. She entered the hall with her head held high as if nothing about her was different. At first, everything went fine. She got a couple of compliments which she graciously accepted but no one made a big deal of it, which she was grateful for. 

Until she heard a group of girls try hiding their laughter.

“God, it’s even worse than before!”

“It’s an absolute mess!”

“It’s a birds nest, not a mess! She needn’t have bothered using such beautiful ribbons on such ugly hair!” They laughed again. 

What really got to her was Mac’s staring at her. She caught his look once and it was almost as if he was disappointed. 

She refused to sit there and feel uncomfortable and so excused herself, saying that she had forgot to do something. 

By the time she reached her bedroom, tears were already spilling down her cheeks. She tried desperately to collect herself, prepared to wallow in her own misery for the rest of the evening, when someone knocked at her door.

“Mer, its Mac. Can I come in?”

She stayed silent but he knocked again.

“Merida I know you’re upset.”

“I’m not upset.” She snapped, immediately regretting her outburst since it gave away her position. 

“I’m coming in.” He said determinedly before storming in with his eyes clamped shut, “Are ye decent, my Queen?”

“Of course I’m decent! Just opened yer eyes, Mac. I’d have attacked by now if I weren’t.” For some reason Mac wasn’t completely horrified at that idea, and tried desperately to hide it. Luckily, his Queen was upset and distracted at the moment. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.” She said, retreating to the other end of the room toward her desk. Mac followed her. 

“Is it me? Because of what I did last week? Look, I’m sorry, Merida. I should have never forced a kiss on ye like that. It was awful of me and I am truly sorry, I crossed a line I shouldn’t have crossed.”

“So...you wanted to kiss me. On purpose. Voluntarily. Why?”

“Because you’re beautiful, lass.” He couldn’t believe he would ask her this, “You’re beautiful and I wanted to kiss ye.”

He didn’t dare tell her how he felt. He didn’t dare risk scaring her away now.

“But I’m not! Don’t ye hear what them girls said Mac? The lords daughters that always flock together? Don’t ye hear what they say about my hair, about my looks.”

“I barely paid attention to them. Why should I? And more importantly, why would ye even for a second believe what they said when they aren’t even worth a tenth of ye.”

“Because just look at it Mac!” Tears threatening the corners of her eyes, “It’s so messy birds could nest in it! I’m Queen and yet I can’t even put it in a bloody braid without messing it up. I’m not going back out there just to hear what I already know.”

Mac suddenly appeared in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks. 

“Yer hair is beautiful, Merida. It’s not a mess, it’s not a ‘birds nest’, and it’s certainly not anything but worthy of a Queen. Don’t hide yourself away because some spoilt brats don’t know what’s what.”

“Don’t lie to me Mac.”

“I’m not. I’m really not, Merida.” The way he said her name, the way he savoured the taste of it on her tongue, made her breath hitch. 

He stood closer to her, entailing his fingers in her hair. Slowly, he unbound her fiery locks from her mothers ribbons with a gentleness Merida never expected. When her hair was free, he combed his fingers through it until it was in all its wild glory again.

“There we go,” he said, a smile on his face and his fingers still in her hair, “Now that’s much better.” 

He dropped his hands down to the base of her neck, sending chills down her spine as he dragged fingers down her neck. Not once did his gaze leave her lips. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled herself up on her tip toes to press her lips to his.

This kiss was slower than the one they shared outside the banquet hall, but just as full of emotion. He pulled her closer while she embedded her own fingers in his hair (it’s everything she imagine and more) and the whole moment is a dream come true. They parted, just for a moment, before their lips met in a more passionate kiss. While in each other’s embrace, they heard a knock at the door and jumped away from one another.

Not this again!

“Merida?” It was her mothers voice and she begun to panic.

Mac took the lead, “I’ll get it my Queen.” He said it just loud enough for the Queen mother to hear. He opened the door and respectfully bowed to Lady Elinor, “M’lady,” he addressed her, “We were just looking over some paperwork.”

“Aye,” Merida added, playing along, “There was just few things I needed to do - they kept bothering me - and Mac was kind enough to help.”

“Anything for my Queen.” He gave her wink when her mother wasn’t looking, and Merida fought hard to keep her emotions in check. 

“I see.” Elinor feigned contentment, but Merida could easily detect her suspiciousness, “Oh, love what happened to yer braid?”

“Oh, it uh...came undone. I didn’t tie it properly.”

“Well that is a shame, it looked so nice on you.”

“Thanks Mum.” She smiled as her mother lovingly kissed her forehead. 

“Well, I’ve come to get you for dinner. No more missed dinners. You too, Lord Macintosh. You both need food in your stomachs.” She linked arms with her daughter and led them both back to the banquet hall. 

Thirty seconds after walking in to the hall, Mac heard snickering and traced the horrid sound to a bunch of stuck up highborn girls. 

These were the ones who laughed at her.

These were the ones who laughed at his Merida. 

And they were still laughing at her!

“If you’ll excuse me a moment.” He calmly whispered, not failing to spot the panic in his Queens’ eyes. 

He sauntered over to the unsuspecting group of young girls just as they were sharing yet another joke about their Queen’s hair.

“And what do you think you’re snickering at?”

“Oh, Lord Macintosh. What a lovely surprise!”

“I asked ye a question, lassie.” He pressed with a tone that could freeze Hell.

“O-oh, w-well, we were just saying how many lovely ladies there are here tonight and comparing the true qualities of what it means to be a lady.” The smugness in her voice made him physically ill. 

“Oh, I’ll have your father in the streets for what you’ve been saying about our Queen.”

“Lord Macintosh,” another intervened, “I don’t know what she’s been saying about us but-“

“Let me be blunt.” He cut her off, “Anyone as shallow and simple-minded as ye all who are also stupid enough to believe ye could say such things without reprimand are quite simply scum. If yer families didn’t even teach ye to respect yer Queen, ye have no place here in our civilised circle. Is that clear?”

They were too dumbstruck to respond.

“Is that clear?” He asked again, his tone severe and cut through the crowds voices until a good many people fell silent and turned their heads to the scene. The girls had no better choice but to nod and mumble half-hearted confirmations.

Without a second word, without a second glance, he strode victoriously back to his Queen and took the seat beside her. The hall’s chaotic voices returned and life went back to normal, though the girls were still shook and bitter at their Lord’s reprimand. 

Beneath the table, Merida hesitantly entwined her fingers with his.

“Thank you, Mac.” She whispered. 

“Always.”


End file.
